User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
dgibson2
a AudioPhile

Date Reviewed: June 10, 2004

Bottom Line:

I was interested in upgrading from my Triangle Titus speakers. I read the reveiws here and in the magazines. So, I took a chance and bought a pair on E-Bay, along with the stock stands. I realize it may not be fair to compare the Titus and the M20s in view of the price difference, but these speakers are a whole world of improvement. The Titus are certainly a good speaker for $500. The M20s are much cleaner in sound, with a very noticeable improvement in resolution right away. The midrange in particular is so uncolored and right. The voices are hauntingly real, yet with all the warmth and lushness you would want. I have listened to familiar recordings and noticed details like background voices and sounds that I never noticed before. Bass extension and balance immediately improved, with the full measure of acoustic and electric bass expressed. Everything in the frequency spectrum is in balance. They sound fine withstock stands and I feel no need to upgrade. I used Blue Tack between the stands and speakers, and there is virtually no vibration in the stands.You may have read that these speakers are hard to drive, but I have used a Conrad Johnson MV-55 at 45 watts, and a Pathos Classic One at 70 watts, and the M20s do fine with no strain on the amp or speakers in my medium size listening room. Overall, these are simply very satisfying speakers, and they look great in sycamore. They are definitely keepers!

I bought these speakers as replacements for Wilson Audio Watt/Puppies since I was
relocating my system to a smaller room in the house. With the proper stands(a must)and the ears situated below the tweeters, I did not experience the lack of triple energy reported by other users.
You do get a sound that is full bodied and natural. These 'little gems' do not try to impress you with sheer HiFi but rather they sound neutral and honest.

This is a follow-up to my earlier review. I just want to say that stands have a big effect on these speakers, and that the stands from Revel may not be as bad as everyone suggests. I have tried those, as well as a pair of very rigid, heavy stands. Witht the Revel stands, the sound was rich and full in the midrange, with soft, slightly thick or "soft-focus" highs, and nice bass, but not very tight. This is a pleasing sound in and of itself. With the rigid stands, detail, imaging and soundstaging, and everything else tightened up considerably, and the imaging and soundstaging were pretty remarkable. But the sound also lost its richness in the mids and became overall really too bright, with somewhat harsh highs. So you can take your choice on this depending on whether you like a more focused, but probably brighter sound, or a more relaxed and musical--but pretty "soft-focus" kind of sound.

As an aside, I'm a little tired of professional reviewers giving their very highest ratings to $2000 speakers such as this (because I keep buying them and getting disappointed). I believe if you use a $15-20,000 transport-DAC combination, the best pre and power amps available, and $6,000 runs of speaker cable, you may well get "class A" sound out of speakers like this. But my own system is excellent (Meridian 508-24; Rowland Concentra II; Cardas Golden Reference interconnects; Audioquest Volcano speaker cables; Synergistic Research and Furutech power cords) and could probably support better speakers than this, but doesn't really give me the kind of sound I would expect based on the rave reviews I've seen. I just don't think class A recommendations are deserved unless a speaker can do just about EVERYthing really well. These fall short in the area of acoustic instruments, I think, and the highs can be a bit strident. I heard more beautiful sound for piano and harps on Triangle speakers, for example.

Oh the search for that third system can be a headache huh. I've auditioned the m20s with practically every integrated amp at the dealers. Musical Fidelity A3s, Arcam FMJs, even VTL integrateds and the only thing that did it justice was the Levinson integrated that costs about as much as a second hand honda civic. I took them home and stuck them into good ole System 1 and they sounded great but I've already got its F30 older brothers in there. System No.2 Arcam FMJ integrated, Arcam CD92, Maggie SMGcs, didn't as in the showroom do it justce. So here comes System 3 Arcam CD92, CJ or AR tube-pre (still undecided) Levinson 23.5 Power Amp. Yup this would do it but now the m20s have a problem. COMPETITION.

The M20 can hold its head high in its price range but really, there is just so much out there for 2000 dollars (the stands aren't exactly cheap either). In its PROPER element the M20s can really sing but so can the ProAc 1sc, the Dynaudio 1.3, heck even the 1.1, Veritas 2.2., Josephs, even Red Rose's baby spirit system. Not to mention the small floorstanders out there. It is definitely good. It just doesn't stand head and shoulders above the rest in its admittedly tight category. I'll give it a 4 then since a 5 would be for the product that can blow the M20 and its other direct competitors out of the water.

There are enough rave reviews here (and in Stereophile, etc.) that I won't elaborate much. Instead, I'll tell you what the limitations are. Its a good, all-round speaker, with full-bodied sound and solid bass for a "bookshelf" model, and very pleasing in its neutrality and ability to do many things well at its price point. The other speakers I tried at this price point didn't have its wonderful midrange or all-around combination of strengths. But the Joseph and the Triangle both had an airier, more open sound that gave me sparkling harpsichords and nicer piano sound than the M20. The highs seem to be the weakness of all the Revel speakers I've heard, sounding to my ears a little dull and thick. Oddly, the M20 does a great job with a sitar recording I have on the Nimbus label, but as I mentioned, is a little disappointing so far for things like piano and harpsichord. On the whole, though, this speaker allows me to listen comfortably to all the different kinds of music I have--rock, jazz, classical--because of its balance of strengths and its full sound, even if it lacks the final degree of refinement, sparkle, or finesse. I can't imagine a much better speaker at its price point.